Music. For people with ears.

Bit of an odd blog this one…you’d be best off thinking of it as a Jeff Buckley song (only far less poetic and beautiful…) as it contains the following:

Heartbreak

Hope

Desperation

Joy

Optimism

Pessimism

A three and a half octave vocal range (OK…that’s just Buckley)

Anyway. Enough waffle. Sad news first. Our lovely little label Jelly Maid Music is closing it’s DIY doors. Sniff sniff. I’d like to say a massive thankyou to Rich Tamblyn who ran it pretty much single handed and helped out so much with our first album and our last 2 EP’s. A great ambassador for the local music scene and the shenanigans that went on at Old Blacksmiths Studio (JM HQ) will be much missed…..

Which brings me on to sad news #2….let me get another hanky….my favourite band The Dawn Chorus are drawing a veil over their impeccable back catalogue with one more album (which I’ve heard most of and it’s incredible). Fittingly it will be the swan song release on Jelly Maid in a couple of months and will be called ‘Tremendous Magic’. Our paths as bands have been ridiculously intertwined over the last 5 years (as last weeks Incest Fest gig showed…! Thanks to all that attended) and we will miss them as touring partners, storytellers, friends and occasional lovers. I had the honour of playing live with them on their last few tours (Whitear kiss of death) and they were some of the funnest shows of my life….more news here:

So…there’s your heartbreak and despair in the first couple of verses….where is the joyful bridge and the optimistic chorus you cry? Well, here. Kyle, Nelly and Pauly B of the DC carry on the flame (with our very own Elliott Gregg on drums) as The Retrospective Soundtrack Players. Keefy Beefy is now our top grade bassman. Drumster Simps is now fronting excellent electro-pop outfit Beatamax. And Benny Boy the Mandolin-Meister? Well i’m eagerly a’waiting his solo sex-funk project (one of these may be a lie…)

Where does this leave The B of the Bang I hear no-one ask? Well….no manager, no label, no publisher, no agent BUT the finest collection of songs we’ve ever written, better gigs than we’ve ever done before, more radio play than ever and the sexiest members in our odd and amusing history (sorry Maff & JD…it’s open to interpretation…).

SO. Here’s the deal. Do bands even need those previously mentioned industry types in the 21st century? I don’t know the answer but I’m sure as hell fed up of being the least successful band since…well…that band that the chubby older Gallagher brother had that no-one cared about. We’ve got a great album ready to go and we’re gonna come and stuff it in your ears whether you like it or not. If anyone wants to help us that’s great but if not….LOCK UP YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS COS WE’RE COMIN ATCHA LIKE CLEOPATRA….

Here’s a free download of our new track ‘The Forest (The Devil is in the Dirt)’. Spread it around yeah?

It’s a real shame when small independent labels manned by people who really care about the music have to fold. Let’s hope everyone involved is able to carry on making/delivering good music, and that people will finally take note.